Vince Barwinski

The Pastor and the Matriarch of the German Underground and Their Times: A Polish Perspective Vince Barwinski

A compelling German historical biography of faith, framed by religious, political and military conflict, set in the twin cataclysmic backdrop of both world wars, as seen from a Polish perspective. The narrative is enriched with a wide array of heroic personal stories, such as the Junker matriarch Ruth von Kleist and her children, in defiance of multiple manifestations of tyranny. The central figure, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, of whom Ruth came to regard like a son, becomes disenchanted with the State Church's appeasement of the National Socialist agenda, and transitions into a double life as pastor and spy. As the tension builds to the tragic climax, one can draw disturbing parallels with the modern-day subversion of all faiths and human rights abuses in Xi Jinping's China, with tacit approval it seems, from the Vatican. Moreover, eerie parallels from the death throes of Weimar Germany for America in 2020-21.